Category: roadside assistance

Being a tow truck driver can be a very rewarding and lucractive career choice. The option to work for a small mechanic shop, a large corporation, available for multiple business, or even working on your own. Or a combination of any of the previously mentiuon oppurtiens. There are a really three basic tow trucks. And depending on the type of towing and budget, a choice can be made. Sometimes you need that awesome roadside assistance

SLING TOW TRUCK

One option for a tow truck is called the sling or hook and chain tow truck. It’s basically a heavy duty pickup truck that is equip with a chains, hooks, and a boom winch. The hooks and chains are attached to the vehicle being towed axel or frame, using the boom winch its lifted. Its towed with its two back wheels on the ground and the front of the vehicle lifted by the boom winch. this type of towing can be very damaging to the bumper and frame of the vehicle being towed. With that in mind it’s a towing maneuver that best suited for cars that have been in an accident, vehicles having one or both of the front or rear wheels missing, or for junk car removal. Those cars that are picked and towed with the intenetion of becoming scrap metal.

WHEEL LIFT TOW TRUCK

This particular truck is just like the sling truck but instead of having hooks and chains it uses yoke in its towing. The yoke is slip under the front or rear wheels of the towed vehicle, really which set of wheel are the drive wheels. Its then lifted by a hydraulic or pneumatic device so that its no longer on the ground. And its towed. Unlike the sling or hook and chain tow truck, the bumper is protected from damage by the height of the lifted car. This too can be used in many scenarios, junk car removal, accident towing, or even to be towed to a mechanic shop. Southfield Towing Service facebook page has a lot of great pictures to show this.

FLATBED TOW TRUCK

Just like its name implies this truck is equip with a flatbed that is allows to incline by use of hydraulic lift system. The bed is inclined and slide down in such a way that a car can be dragged by hooks on its axel onto the bed. The bed is then lifted and replace into position so that the entire vechicle is now on the bed. This type of tow truck can be use in any number of application. Transporting a car to a mechanic or collision shop, from an accident, across the country or state, or even junk car removal. because the entire vehicle is no longer on the ground it serves in protecting the vehicle from any damages. Really the only damages that could come to a vehicle on this type of tow truck is if the operator improperly hook the vechicle when dragging it onto the bed.

These are three of the basic tow trucks available. Anyone will be a great benefit for any person looking to get into the tow truck business. Like with any vehicle prices, ,options, and reliability varies for each vechicle. If one wants to purchase or lease a tow truck make sure to have the vechicle inspected by a reputuable mechanic, do the research, and shop around. This is an investment. So it would be wise to be prepared so money and time is not wasted.